My Martial Dao Has No Bottlenecks

No ordinary True Gang Early Stage cultivator could have possibly dodged it, much less blocked it.

But Liang Cheng had not only dodged and blocked the two strikes, he had even used their force to create distance. His breathing was steady, his gaze clear.

"Good. Very good."

"It seems that Enlightenment Stele has truly transformed you. Your Mountain-Breaking Saber has reached Perfection? No wonder you had the confidence to receive my last two strikes."

He slowly raised the Golden Scale Sword, its tip aimed at Liang Cheng. The immense Gang Qi of his True Gang Late Stage cultivation erupted from him without reservation!

Pale golden Gang Qi surged around his body like flames, faintly coalescing into illusory golden scales. A sharp Sword Intent radiated outward, etching countless fine lines into the floor.

"But so what if your Saber Technique has reached Perfection? It won’t save your life."

"The difference in our Cultivation is a chasm. Liang Cheng, you die today!"

The moment he finished speaking, his figure blurred!

In the next instant, he appeared at Liang Cheng’s left. The Golden Scale Sword created nine illusory copies, making it impossible to tell which was real as they enveloped nine of Liang Cheng’s vital points.

Golden Scale: Nine Flashes!

The biting Sword Intent made Liang Cheng’s skin prickle.

Liang Cheng’s eyes remained calm. His footwork changed, unleashing the Wandering Dragon Step. His body moved like a willow catkin in the wind, like a fish darting through water. At the last possible moment, he slipped through a gap between the nine sword-shadows.

At the same time, his Zhenxian Saber moved.

There was no dazzling blade light, no imposing aura.

There was only a single, azure Saber Aura, condensed to its absolute limit and filled with the resolve to cut through anything. Like a blade tearing through silk, it slashed precisely at the most solid of the nine sword-shadows—the true blade!

Using force to shatter finesse, simplicity to overcome complexity!

"CLANG!"

Saber and sword clashed once more.

This time, Shi Podang trembled. The tyrannical power within the Saber Aura, a force that seemed capable of severing anything, actually knocked him back three steps!

The horror in his eyes deepened.

’My strength is clearly superior, and my Cultivation Realm is a step above his. But in the instant our blades met, he somehow pierced right through my Sword Momentum and even destabilized my Gang Qi!’

’Perfect Saber Technique... it can have this much of an effect?’

Shi Podang’s heart sank. He finally shed the last of his disdain.

’This kid... he’s actually qualified to threaten me!’

’I must use my full strength and kill him quickly!’

"Golden Scale True Aura!"

With a low roar, the golden Gang Qi around him rapidly condensed, pouring entirely into the Golden Scale Sword.

The blade trembled, emitting a clear hum like a dragon’s cry. The scale patterns on its spine lit up in succession, shining with a dazzling light.

A sharpness far exceeding anything before locked onto Liang Cheng.

Liang Cheng took a deep breath. The nine Gang Qi Seeds in his body vibrated as one. The Gang Qi from the nascent Fourth Layer of his Broken Wave Technique surged out. He activated his Mixed Element Gang Body to its fullest extent, the pale golden film of light beneath his skin becoming denser.

"Kill!"

Shi Podang roared. Man and sword merged, transforming into a golden Sword Rainbow that ripped through the air as it shot forward. Its speed was astonishing and its power concentrated, far surpassing his earlier attacks.

Liang Cheng didn’t retreat or evade. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

He gripped the saber with both hands, raising it high overhead and pouring his Gang Qi into the Zhenxian Saber without holding anything back.

The blade of the saber blazed with azure light, and the faint sound of surging waves emanated from it. He aimed for the very tip of the Sword Rainbow—its most condensed and sharpest point—and brought his saber down with savage force!

’I have one saber. It can break mountains, part the waves, and cleave through any obstacle in my path!’

’I don’t care about your Penglai Secret Transmission or your Golden Scale True Aura!’

’I will cut you down!’

"BOOM—!!!"

The Saber Aura and the Sword Rainbow slammed into each other in the center of the White Jade Square, crashing like two colliding meteors!

A terrifying shockwave of energy erupted in a circular blast. Large sections of the cloud patterns etched into the floor lit up, only to dim and crumble an instant later.

The White Jade Floor, harder than refined steel, was literally scraped away, its dust and fragments hurled high into the air by the shockwave.

At the epicenter of the explosion, the two figures separated on impact.

Liang Cheng was flung backward. He landed hard and skidded for several yards before he could finally plant his saber in the ground to stabilize himself.

The pale golden film of light from his Mixed Element Gang Body flickered violently. A faint white mark was left on his chest, and waves of pain washed over him. Shi Podang, on the other hand, was sent flying backward, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

He finally steadied himself, sword in hand. His right hand trembled, the webbing between his thumb and index finger split open and bleeding. But what truly horrified him was the rice-sized chip that had appeared on the tip of his Golden Scale Sword!

’This Treasure Sword, forged from Deep Sea Cold Iron Mixed with Golden Scale Demon Bone, was actually damaged in a head-on collision?!’

’His Saber Technique... is it that sharp, that tyrannical?!’

"Good saber!"

Shi Podang’s voice was hoarse. He glared at Liang Cheng, the murderous intent in his eyes peaking, now laced with a touch of madness.

’I absolutely cannot let him live!’

’If I fail to kill him here today, he will become a calamitous threat to me in the future. One of us will have to die, and it will be me!’

He said no more. Unleashing all his remaining Gang Qi, his body shot forward again. His sword descended like a waterfall, carrying the tragic momentum of one willing to die to take his enemy with him as he lunged for Liang Cheng!

Leaning on his saber, Liang Cheng watched the frenzied figure charge. His eyes were exceptionally calm, and the corners of his lips even curled up slightly. Then he, too, surged forward to meet the attack!

Wide, sweeping slashes, meant to sever everything!

At the same time, he integrated the Wind and Thunder Slash, pushing his speed to the absolute limit!

Fast as a furious wind, swift as a sudden storm!

The light of his saber flashed like a tempest, instantly engulfing Shi Podang!

"CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG...!"

The staccato of metal clashing, dense as a drumroll, blurred into a single continuous roar. Shi Podang’s frenzied assault was brought to a dead stop by this sudden storm of slashes!

He was a mixture of shocked and furious. Under the ferocious onslaught, his Swordsmanship showed a brief moment of hesitation.

In that very instant—

A sharp light exploded in Liang Cheng’s eyes!

An azure gleam of saber light—all his power condensed to its absolute peak in a single strike—lashed out like a venomous dragon emerging from the tide!

The saber strike shot through the momentary opening in Shi Podang’s Sword Momentum. His hair stood on end as the shadow of death instantly fell over him.

He let out a wild roar, desperately twisting his body to dodge while simultaneously trying to bring his sword back to parry.

"SHLICK!"

The saber’s edge flashed past.

Blood sprayed into the air.

A severed arm, still gripping the Golden Scale Sword, arced high into the air.

Shi Podang screamed, stumbling back. Blood poured from his right shoulder like a spring, the agony of the dismemberment twisting his handsome face into a monstrous mask.

He stared fixedly at Liang Cheng, his eyes a storm of disbelief, venomous hatred, and, buried deep within, raw terror.

"No... impossible... How could I..."

But Liang Cheng gave him no opportunity. The Zhenxian Saber’s momentum hadn’t faded; with a spin, the blade traced a cold arc of light that flashed across Shi Podang’s neck.

Shi Podang’s words cut off.

Shi Podang’s eyes flew wide. His head tilted slowly, then tumbled to the ground. The headless corpse teetered for a moment before collapsing with a heavy thud.

Shi Podang, a prodigy Disciple of the Penglai Sect’s Outer Sect, was decapitated—

Dead!